The April/May 1983 issue (Nº 16) of the Club de Grabado de Montevideo’s newsletter begins with an open invitation to the Mini Grabado Internacional de Cadaqués (on the Costa Brava in Spain, in August 1983). There is a reference to the CGM members who participated in this event on two previous occasions, and an announcement that, this time, there will be a large contingent of Uruguayan artists in attendance. The news is of considerable interest because it is the first sign of an easing of the isolation that the CGM in particular and Uruguay in general had endured under the military dictatorship (1973–85).     

Ever since it was founded in 1953, the CGM (Club de Grabado de Montevideo) made a regular habit of attending international events devoted to the art of printmaking. This practice increased during the dictatorship that began in June 1973. Some years later, when this article, “Information for Members,” was published in the April/May 1983 issue of the Club’s newsletter at a time when political restrictions were being gradually being lifted, the CGM was still proceeding cautiously, wary of the government’s repressive policies that sought to silence independent cultural organizations. The CGM developed interesting survival strategies, and followed the examples set by similar cultural institutions in other countries in the region. One of those tactics was to seek support from internationally known art institutions that helped to legitimize local artistic undertakings from outside the country. These initiatives obviously had no official support from Uruguay’s de facto government. Under those historical circumstances it was a significant step to publish the invitation to participate in the “3er. Encuentro de Mini Grabado Internacional de Cadaqués,” organized by Barcelona’s Galería Fort.

This document underscores the importance of the “Encuentro” and names the CGM members who had participated in this event on previous occasions, such as Gladys Afamado (b. 1925), Claudia Anselmi (b. 1958), Óscar Ferrando (b. 1943), and Héctor Contte.

[As complementary reading see, in the ICAA digital archive, the following articles published by the Club de Grabado de Montevideo: “Concurso de grabado para edición” (doc. no. 863481); “13 años de actividad de Club de Grabado de Montevideo” (doc. no. 1183571); “El arte correo en el Uruguay” (doc. no. 1191850); “Boletín N° 7 Club de Grabado de Montevideo” (doc. no. 1182833); “Club de Grabado compra su casa” (doc. no. 1192649); “Club de Grabado de Montevideo 22 Aniversario 1953 - Agosto 1975” (doc. no. 1183514); “Club de Grabado de Montevideo a la población de Montevideo” (doc. no. 1183124); “Cuando el Tercer Mundo se mira a sí mismo. II Bienal de La Habana” (doc. no. 1184459); “De los grabados de ayer a las ediciones actuales” (doc. no. 1191787); “Definiciones / Uno” (doc. no. 1189065); “Entrevista a Luis Mazzey” (doc. no. 1186991); “Entrevista a Óscar Ferrando” (doc. no. 1186747); “Entrevista a Óscar Ferrando [segunda parte]” (doc. no. 1186802); “Fundamentos a propósito de su 22 aniversario” (doc. no. 1182640); “La necesidad de la imaginación” (doc. no. 1190793); “Nuestra institución” (doc. no. 1182010); “Los nuevos movimientos de las artes” (doc. no. 1182868); “Opiniones (I)” (doc. no. 1185411); “Palabras de clausura para un año de apertura” (doc. no. 1191167); “Referencias sobre identidad, cultura y arte en Latinoamérica” (doc. no. 1183641); “Reflexiones en torno a la supuesta crisis de las artes plásticas” (doc. no. 1185539); and “Sobre el papel de la crítica” (doc. no. 1187071)].